Berlin is one of the greenest metropolitan areas in Europe, with almost 44 percent public parks and green spaces. In addition to city officials, many companies are also committed to the sustainable design of Berlin. On September 29 of this year, an official competition was held for the first time in the market hall of the International Garden Exhibition (IGA) to find the most creative and innovative company gardens within Berlin’s […]
Berlin is one of the greenest metropolitan areas in Europe, with almost 44 percent public parks and green spaces. In addition to city officials, many companies are also committed to the sustainable design of Berlin. On September 29 of this year, an official competition was held for the first time in the market hall of the International Garden Exhibition (IGA) to recognize the most creative and innovative company gardens within Berlin’s city limits for their green awareness. The organizers received around 40 entries ranging from enchanted roof gardens and green backyards to vertical planting on office façades.
The projects were judged by a diverse jury made up of various Berlin associations and institutions, including the IHK Berlin, the Bund Deutscher Landschaftsarchitekten Berlin-Brandenburg e.V., the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gartenkunst und Landschaftskultur LV Berlin/Brandenburg e.V. and the Fachverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau Berlin und Brandenburg e.V. The list of participants is no less varied and ranges from one-man companies to medium-sized offices and well-known global corporations.
In addition to two special prizes, the companies were honored in the Large Garden, Roof Garden and Courtyard categories. In the large garden category, VGV Verwaltung der Versorgungswerke mbH was awarded a prize for the complete renovation of its company buildings and the redesign of the traditional garden with shrub beds and a fountain. The winner in the roof garden category was Different GmbH, which installed a wooden roof terrace on its concrete roof in 2011 and equipped it with a five square meter kitchen garden for vegetables and herbs.WBM Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Berlin-Mitte mbH won in the courtyard category with its conversion of an old boiler house with adjoining parking lot into a green sun terrace for employees. The use of air conditioning systems was also reduced by adding greenery to the roof areas. In the meantime, WBM has extended its concept to the inner courtyards of its apartment buildings due to its successful implementation. The special prizes went to the company Dieringer Blechbearbeitung OHG for its technically innovative green roof and façade, and to Knauer Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH for the “biodiversity” in its company garden.
With the growing environmental awareness among the population, more and more companies are also attaching importance to high-quality green spaces in the workplace. In addition to increasing the attractiveness of the company premises, a well-tended company garden offers considerable added value for a company’s customers and employees. “Company gardens are […] meeting places for employees and thus have an important social function. This commitment by companies and the public sector improves the quality of work and life in our city,” explains Andreas Geisel, Senator for Urban Development and the Environment of the City of Berlin, who is the patron of the competition together with IHK President Dr. Beatrice Kramm. Dr. Beatrice Kramm emphasizes that the committee is convinced that the projects in the competition are a “wonderful advertisement” for Berlin as a business location. All submitted projects and more information can be found at: www.firmengaerten-berlin.de
